List of Irregular Verbs In English

English is renowned for its rich vocabulary and diverse grammatical structures. Among these, irregular verbs stand out as particularly challenging for both native and non-native speakers. Unlike regular verbs that follow a consistent pattern in their past forms, irregular verbs deviate from these norms, often changing entirely in their past simple and past participle forms. This article presents a comprehensive list of irregular verbs in English, complete with detailed explanations and usage examples to aid learners in mastering these essential components of the English language.

Understanding Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs are verbs that do not conform to the standard rules of conjugation. Typically, regular verbs form their past simple and past participle by adding “-ed” to the base form (e.g., “walk” becomes “walked”). In contrast, irregular verbs take on various forms, with no consistent pattern to follow. This irregularity means that each verb must be memorized individually, making it imperative for learners to familiarize themselves with these verbs through practice and usage.

Importance of Irregular Verbs

Mastering irregular verbs is crucial for several reasons:

1. Frequency of Use: Many of the most commonly used verbs in English are irregular. Words like “go,” “see,” “come,” and “take” are fundamental to everyday communication.
2. Improved Fluency: Proper use of irregular verbs enhances both written and spoken fluency, making one’s English sound more natural and correct.
3. Grammatical Accuracy: Correct verb forms are essential for grammatical accuracy, which is particularly important in formal writing and speaking contexts.

List of Common Irregular Verbs

Here, we provide a detailed list of common irregular verbs in English. This list includes the base form, past simple, and past participle, along with examples of each verb in a sentence.

Irregular Verbs from A to G

• Arise: arise – arose – arisen
  • Example: “Problems arose during the meeting.”
• Awake: awake – awoke – awoken
  • Example: “She awoke early in the morning.”
• Be: be – was/were – been
  • Example: “They were excited about the trip.”
• Bear: bear – bore – borne
  • Example: “She has borne the burden alone.”
• Beat: beat – beat – beaten
  • Example: “The team was beaten in the final.”
• Become: become – became – become
  • Example: “He became a famous actor.”
• Begin: begin – began – begun
  • Example: “The ceremony began at noon.”
• Bend: bend – bent – bent
  • Example: “He bent the rules to suit himself.”
• Bet: bet – bet – bet
  • Example: “She bet all her money on that horse.”
• Bid: bid – bid – bid
  • Example: “They bid farewell to their friends.”
• Bind: bind – bound – bound
  • Example: “The contract bound them legally.”
• Bite: bite – bit – bitten
  • Example: “The dog bit the mailman.”
• Bleed: bleed – bled – bled
  • Example: “He bled from the wound.”
• Blow: blow – blew – blown
  • Example: “The wind blew fiercely.”
• Break: break – broke – broken
  • Example: “She broke the vase accidentally.”
• Breed: breed – bred – bred
  • Example: “They bred horses for racing.”
• Bring: bring – brought – brought
  • Example: “He brought flowers for her.”
• Broadcast: broadcast – broadcast – broadcast
  • Example: “The news was broadcast worldwide.”
• Build: build – built – built
  • Example: “They built a new house.”
• Burn: burn – burnt/burned – burnt/burned
  • Example: “He burnt the toast.”
• Burst: burst – burst – burst
  • Example: “The balloon burst suddenly.”
• Buy: buy – bought – bought
  • Example: “She bought a new dress.”
• Catch: catch – caught – caught
  • Example: “He caught the ball easily.”
• Choose: choose – chose – chosen
  • Example: “She chose the red dress.”
• Come: come – came – come
  • Example: “They came early to the party.”
• Cost: cost – cost – cost
  • Example: “The project cost a lot of money.”
• Cut: cut – cut – cut
  • Example: “He cut the paper with scissors.”
• Deal: deal – dealt – dealt
  • Example: “She dealt the cards quickly.”
• Dig: dig – dug – dug
  • Example: “They dug a hole in the garden.”
• Do: do – did – done
  • Example: “She did her homework.”
• Draw: draw – drew – drawn
  • Example: “He drew a beautiful picture.”
• Dream: dream – dreamt/dreamed – dreamt/dreamed
  • Example: “She dreamt about her vacation.”
• Drink: drink – drank – drunk
  • Example: “They drank all the lemonade.”
• Drive: drive – drove – driven
  • Example: “He drove to the city.”
• Eat: eat – ate – eaten
  • Example: “She ate a large meal.”
• Fall: fall – fell – fallen
  • Example: “The leaves fell from the tree.”
• Feed: feed – fed – fed
  • Example: “They fed the birds.”
• Feel: feel – felt – felt
  • Example: “He felt happy.”
• Fight: fight – fought – fought
  • Example: “They fought bravely.”
• Find: find – found – found
  • Example: “She found her keys.”
• Fly: fly – flew – flown
  • Example: “The bird flew away.”
• Forget: forget – forgot – forgotten
  • Example: “He forgot his appointment.”
• Forgive: forgive – forgave – forgiven
  • Example: “She forgave him.”
• Freeze: freeze – froze – frozen
  • Example: “The lake froze over.”

Irregular Verbs from H to P

• Get: get – got – gotten/got
  • Example: “He got a new job.”
• Give: give – gave – given
  • Example: “She gave him a gift.”
• Go: go – went – gone
  • Example: “They went to the beach.”
• Grow: grow – grew – grown
  • Example: “The plant grew quickly.”
• Hang: hang – hung – hung
  • Example: “He hung the picture on the wall.”
• Have: have – had – had
  • Example: “She had a good time.”
• Hear: hear – heard – heard
  • Example: “He heard a strange noise.”
• Hide: hide – hid – hidden
  • Example: “She hid the letter.”
• Hit: hit – hit – hit
  • Example: “He hit the ball hard.”
• Hold: hold – held – held
  • Example: “She held his hand.”
• Hurt: hurt – hurt – hurt
  • Example: “He hurt his leg.”
• Keep: keep – kept – kept
  • Example: “She kept her promise.”
• Know: know – knew – known
  • Example: “He knew the answer.”
• Lay: lay – laid – laid
  • Example: “She laid the table.”
• Lead: lead – led – led
  • Example: “He led the team to victory.”
• Leave: leave – left – left
  • Example: “She left the room.”
• Lend: lend – lent – lent
  • Example: “He lent her some money.”
• Let: let – let – let
  • Example: “She let him borrow the car.”
• Lie: lie – lay – lain
  • Example: “He lay on the bed.”
• Lose: lose – lost – lost
  • Example: “She lost her keys.”
• Make: make – made – made
  • Example: “He made a cake.”
• Mean: mean – meant – meant
  • Example: “She meant to call him.”
• Meet: meet – met – met
  • Example: “They met at the cafe.”
• Pay: pay – paid – paid
  • Example: “He paid the bill.”
• Put: put – put – put
  • Example: “She put the book on the shelf.”

Irregular Verbs from Q to Z

• Quit: quit – quit – quit
  • Example: “He quit his job.”
• Read: read – read – read
  • Example: “She read a book.”
• Ride: ride – rode – ridden
  • Example: “He rode his bike.”
• Ring: ring – rang – rung
  • Example: “The phone rang.”
• Rise: rise – rose – risen
  • Example: “The sun rose early.”
• Run: run – ran – run
  • Example: “She ran fast.”
• Say: say – said – said
  • Example: “He said hello.”
• See: see – saw – seen
  • Example: “She saw a movie.”
• Sell: sell – sold – sold
  • Example: “He sold his car.”
• Send: send – sent – sent
  • Example: “She sent a letter.”
• Set: set – set – set
  • Example: “He set the alarm.”
• Shake: shake – shook – shaken
  • Example: “She shook his hand.”
• Shine: shine – shone – shone
  • Example: “The sun shone brightly.”
• Shoot: shoot – shot – shot
  • Example: “He shot the target.”
• Show: show – showed – shown
  • Example: “She showed him the way.”
• Shrink: shrink – shrank – shrunk
  • Example: “The shirt shrank in the wash.”
• Shut: shut – shut – shut
  • Example: “He shut the door.”
• Sing: sing – sang – sung
  • Example: “She sang beautifully.”
• Sink: sink – sank – sunk
  • Example: “The ship sank.”
• Sit: sit – sat – sat
  • Example: “He sat on the chair.”
• Sleep: sleep – slept – slept
  • Example: “She slept well.”
• Speak: speak – spoke – spoken
  • Example: “He spoke clearly.”
• Spend: spend – spent – spent
  • Example: “She spent the day reading.”
• Spill: spill – spilt/spilled – spilt/spilled
  • Example: “He spilt the milk.”
• Stand: stand – stood – stood
  • Example: “She stood up.”
• Steal: steal – stole – stolen
  • Example: “He stole the money.”
• Stick: stick – stuck – stuck
  • Example: “She stuck a note on the fridge.”
• Strike: strike – struck – struck
  • Example: “He struck the ball.”
• Swear: swear – swore – sworn
  • Example: “She swore to tell the truth.”
• Sweep: sweep – swept – swept
  • Example: “He swept the floor.”
• Swim: swim – swam – swum
  • Example: “She swam in the pool.”
• Take: take – took – taken
  • Example: “He took a photo.”
• Teach: teach – taught – taught
  • Example: “She taught English.”
• Tear: tear – tore – torn
  • Example: “He tore the paper.”
• Tell: tell – told – told
  • Example: “She told a story.”
• Think: think – thought – thought
  • Example: “He thought about the problem.”
• Throw: throw – threw – thrown
  • Example: “She threw the ball.”
• Understand: understand – understood – understood
  • Example: “He understood the lesson.”
• Wake: wake – woke – woken
  • Example: “She woke up early.”
• Wear: wear – wore – worn
  • Example: “He wore a suit.”
• Win: win – won – won
  • Example: “She won the race.”
• Write: write – wrote – written
  • Example: “He wrote a letter.”

Tips for Learning Irregular Verbs

1. Regular Practice: Consistently practicing irregular verbs through reading, writing, and speaking helps solidify their forms in memory.
2. Use Flashcards: Flashcards can be an effective tool for memorization, allowing learners to test themselves on the different forms.
3. Group by Patterns: While irregular verbs don’t follow strict rules, grouping them by similar patterns can aid in learning (e.g., “sing-sang-sung” and “ring-rang-rung”).
4. Contextual Learning: Using irregular verbs in sentences and real-life contexts makes them easier to remember and apply correctly.

Conclusion

Understanding and mastering irregular verbs is a vital aspect of achieving fluency in English. This comprehensive list, coupled with regular practice and the right learning strategies, will aid learners in confidently using these verbs in their daily communication. Embracing the challenge of irregular verbs will not only improve grammatical accuracy but also enhance overall language proficiency.